1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control apparatus and a control method for a hybrid system.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-238837 (JP-2008-238837 A) discloses a hybrid system capable of outputting drive force output by an internal combustion engine and drive force output by an electric motor, wherein at least an engine operation mode in which the internal combustion engine is operated and an engine operation stop mode in which the internal combustion engine is not operated are performed selectively. Furthermore, an internal combustion engine is available which includes a vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus that captures vaporized fuel generated inside a fuel tank of the internal combustion engine and releases the captured vaporized fuel into an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine.
Here, if an internal combustion engine including a vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus is used in the hybrid system described above, vaporized fuel continues to flow into the vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus from the fuel tank, even while the engine operation stop mode is being implemented in the hybrid system. Consequently, the amount of vaporized fuel which is captured by the vaporized fuel capture and release apparatus becomes large when the engine operation stop mode is implemented over a long period of time. Hence, there are cases where it becomes necessary to release vaporized fuel from the vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus while the engine operation stop mode is being implemented.
However, when it has become necessary to release vaporized fuel from the vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus, if there is an abnormality in the vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus, then even if release of vaporized fuel is to be performed from the vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus (hereinafter, this release is simply called “release of vaporized fuel”), satisfactory release of vaporized fuel cannot be performed. Consequently, if the internal combustion engine is operated only in order to release vaporized fuel in spite of the fact that there is an abnormality in the vaporized-fuel capturing/releasing apparatus, fuel is consumed unnecessarily in the internal combustion engine and the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine is unnecessarily reduced.